30 Kisses: Puppy Love
by TheArchives
Summary: [Complete] Written for the 30 Kisses livejournal. A set of 30 KibaNaruKiba drabbles all of which are Very Very Random, and all of which cheerfully ignore any semblence of a timeline andor series canon.
1. Nature Watching

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Though many thought it was just another part of being a shinobi, one of Kiba's favorite things to do was leap through the trees at top speed – especially while playing with Akamaru. Having the wind whip his hood and hair back, hovering above the ground between branches, being able to flip and dive at will – it was all a perk of an otherwise dangerous life. Usually after training with Kurenai ended Kiba and Akamaru would head into the walled-in parts of the forest to jump around and relax – and occasionally practice what they'd been learning. Today was no exception.

"Yahoo!" Kiba shouted gleefully.

His little dog yipped and barked his concurrence of the excitement. Suddenly, however, he leapt onto a branch and stood there, coking his head and sniffing the air. He turned around once, ignoring his still-moving master.

"All right! Once more, Akamaru! Dyna – " the brunette paused, realizing that his dog had stopped. He sighed irritably, turning himself mid-air so that his feet landed on the nearest tree. He pushed off and propelled himself back to the branch on which his dog had settled. "What's wrong, Akamaru?"

The white pup muttered softly.

"Eh? Canine?" Kiba's eyes widened as he focused his chakra into his nose and sniffed as well. He pin-pointed a small clearing, "Down there, you mean?"

Akamaru nodded. Kiba frowned thoughtfully. The scent was familiar – not entirely canine and not entirely human, but nothing like any of the members of the Inuzuka clan. He scratched the top of Akamaru's head absently, debating whether or not to check it out. The little dog barked at him, annoyed, and he rolled his eyes.

"Touchy," – Akamaru yipped indignantly – "All right, all right. We'll go look."

Roughly three seconds later they'd arrived at the perimeter of clearing and were peering down into it from their perch on a high branch. For a moment Kiba saw nothing unusual – just grass, rocks, and fallen leaves and branches as were typical of forest clearings – and he was about to tell Akamaru off – but then the scent hit them harder than before, carried on a breeze. Two heads snapped to the left simultaneously, and were greeted with a shock of yellow hair and an orange jumpsuit not very far below.

"Well would you look at that?" Kiba muttered to himself, half in amusement, half in amazement, "I never thought of Naruto as a nature-lover."

The blonde shinobi was nestled into the crook of a branch with his arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. Kiba and Akamaru shared a glance and nodded in agreement. They leapt down to the branch – landing far enough away that they didn't disturb Naruto's sleep – and crawled slowly towards him, pausing occasionally to check that he didn't wake up.

"Naruto?" the brunette asked softly.

There was no response. Kiba looked at Akamaru and nodded once more. They crawled up until they were face to face with the sleeping blonde, who made no indication that he'd noticed their presence. The Inuzuka smiled softly – a far cry from his normal manic grin – and brushed some hair back from Naruto's face. The smaller shinobi just continued breathing softly and steadily.

"Cute, aren't you?" Kiba murmured quietly. He watched Naruto sleep a few seconds, then pressed his lips to the blonde's cheek, "If you come back with a cold, I'll laugh."


	2. Mail Call

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

It was generally agreed among the most trusted friends of the Hokage that there were definitely drawbacks to being the most trusted friends of the Hokage. Perks, too, of course, and many of them, but definitely drawbacks. Paperwork being one of many, Kiba thought without heat, scanning over yet another mission report. 

"Hey, Inuzuka."

Kiba looked up, blinking confusedly, from his desk full of paperwork. Shikamaru stood in the doorway, an annoyed look on his face (not that that was anything unusual) and an envelope dangling from his pointer and thumb.

"Yeah?" he asked, glancing back down at the half-finished report. He growled softly at it and made a mental note to pull the reporter aside later for a man-to-dog talk with Akamaru's teeth. He heard Shikamaru sigh even from the door and knew the other shinobi was standing at his desk only because suddenly his scent was stronger.

"You're so annoying," Shikamaru muttered.

The Inuzuka looked up again, about to snap out a retort, but found himself with a face-full of lightly scented envelope. He pulled back instinctively, staring at it as if it might bite him, then cast annoyed eyes on his friend, "And what'm I s'pposed to do with that?"

"Maybe take it?" the lazy Jounin shrugged, "It's for you, or can't you read your name anymore?"

Looking at it again proved that, yes, the envelope was indeed addressed to him. Even so, Kiba didn't move to take it. "Who sent it?"

"Hokage-sama."

Kiba rolled his eyes and was about to say, "Naruto doesn't send pink-tinted, scented envelopes," but stopped himself and realized that those were exactly the sort of envelopes Naruto would send out – grinning manically at whatever imagined reaction to them his brain came up with for the recipient. He gave a sigh of his own and reached for the envelope. As soon as he had a grip on it, Shikamaru had let it go as if it'd been burning him to hold it, and was heading for the door.

"Tell your girl-friend I'm not his messenger," the Jounin called just before he disappeared.

"I'm gonna tell him you called him a girl, any rate," Kiba shouted back with a smirk.

Akamaru gave a dog's equivalent of laughter from his curled up spot in the corner. The Inuzuka chuckled with him, contemplating the envelope all the while. He doubted it was anything important, given that it had been given to Shikamaru, and Naruto knew that Shikamaru would take his sweet time in relaying it, but it couldn't be anything too casual or the blonde himself would have dropped in to tell him the news himself.

"What do you think, Akamaru? Worth risking my health to open it?"

"You risk your health everyday for lesser reasons," the white dog replied sleepily, "You might as well."1

Kiba rolled his eyes at his friend and slid a nail under the paper, slicing it neatly open. It was with a smile of relief that he noted there were no smoke-bombs, strange-smelling powders, or confetti-poppers blasting in his face when he pulled out the card and opened that. It was with a lustful smirk that he read the message contained within. Two minutes later, the letter was stuffed in the bottom of his desk and he was gone.

Later that night, between kisses, Kiba grinned against Naruto's neck and bit down, muttering, "You really need to start writing more often."

Naruto just laughed.

* * *

1 This would, in fact, be Akamaru actually talking. I assume that by the time Naruto ever made it to Hokage, Akamaru'd be old enough to actually speak, like Kiba's mom's dog.


	3. The Better Uses of Jolt!

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

The party had been going full-swing when Kiba decided that he was thirsty, and Naruto decided to go with him (as if the two could have been pried apart, anyway). Ten minutes later, they still hadn't emerged, and people were starting to notice their absence. Or, at least Shikamaru had. Which was why he got up, trouble though it was, and followed them into the kitchen. But they weren't there. Ino and Sakura were there, but not Kiba and Naruto. Quirking an eyebrow skyward with an annoyed expression, he looked around briefly, and decided they had left or gone to the bathroom. 

_Might as well get something for myself while I'm here so this won't be a complete waste_, he thought, and moved to the refrigerator, opening it. Then he stood there, staring. He was still staring when Lee walked in with Neji five minutes later, and actually caught the older boy's attention.

"Shikamaru-kun?" Lee asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Shikamaru moaned.

"No, nothing's wrong?"

"No," the other moaned again, pointing lamely into the cold-box.

The door to the refrigerator stood open, held in place by his numb hand. Ten-ten, Lee, Ino, Sakura, Chouji, and even Neji and Sasuke crowded to stand behind him, all trying to look into the 'fridge without appearing too interested.

"No," the lazy Chuunin said again.

"What?" asked Chouji.

"The Jolt."

"What?" Ten-ten asked, her eyebrow raising.

"No. ... The Jolt ... No, no, no, no."

"What is it?"

"This is going to be so troublesome," Shikamaru said morosely, pointing helplessly with his free hand to the empty rack, "This isn't happening."

"What isn't happening?" Sakura all but shouted.

"The Jolt Cola ... is gone."

"So?" Sasuke sniffed. He started to walk away, unconcerned.

"Kiba and Naruto just came in here for a drink."

The whole room froze. Not a soul moved, not even the Uchiha – who was in mid-step. Sasuke ever-so-slowly turned to stare over his shoulder at Shikamaru, his eyes wide with shock.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

" ... Fuck."

"For once, I agree," sighed Shikamaru.

A distant sound of a howling dog broke the shock that had frozen the room into complete inactivity. Suddenly everyone was gathering their stuff and scrambling for the door, making their excuses as they did so. The lazy Chuunin could have sworn he heard something about tomatoes, and something about 'tending to chairs', which he just didn't want to know about. In two minutes flat, the house was empty.

Shikamaru sighed happily, opening the cupboard door and removing the "missing" bottles of Jolt Cola.

"Thanks, guys."

Naruto and Kiba came out from under the table, grinning madly and amazed that no one had thought to look there for them – was the thought of them with Jolt really so horrible as to cause such a lack of observation? The blonde grinned wider as he stretched, then he kissed Shikamaru on the cheek playfully.

"You're welcome – but you owe us one!"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see. Now get going before the dog gets possessive."

"Yessir!"

Shikamaru sighed happily when the door closed behind them. It might have been more effort than normal, but the silence that followed the departures was well worth the trouble.


	4. On Boyfriends and Separation

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

There were times when Naruto, cold and uncomfortable in the forest on the way to whatever damn village or town he was assigned to, thought that he'd be better off not having a boyfriend at all. At least that way he wouldn't be able to think about everything he was missing, sitting cold and uncomfortable in that damn forest while said boyfriend was back in Konoha, sitting in their warm and comfortable apartment. More than likely with Akamaru, too. The blonde shinobi sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around himself, mind wandering back to a few nights before, when Kiba and Akamaru had returned from their mission in Sand Country. He smiled at the thought of it – Kiba's warm body spooned around his own on their couch with Akamaru curled up at their feet, the television on but muted, the comfortable silence as he and Kiba made out like teenagers on their first date.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto sighed again, pulling himself out of his musings and turning his attention to his teammate, "Yeah?"

Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses, staring down at Naruto in such a way that the blonde felt like a piece of ... well, _something_ on display in a store window. He smiled internally, only a little bitter as he remembered the first time Ebisu noticed him enough to stare at him, and stared back, head tilted to the side in silent question. The older man merely sighed and held out one of the extra blankets they'd packed. The blonde accepted it, taking care not to disturb the leaves on the ground as he wrapped it around himself.

"Hey, Closet Pervert."

Ebisu twitched, but didn't respond any further, resigned to having the nickname for the rest of his life, "What, brat?"

"You wear those to sleep?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin, jerking his chin at Ebisu's face to indicate the sunglasses, "Don't they hurt if you roll over?"

The older man sighed and set about setting up his bedding, muttering, "That guy ... "

Behind him, Naruto's grin gained a few watts, and the short shinobi went about settling himself for the first watch. Ebisu and he made eye-contact over the fire, agreeing to douse it without exchanging words, and then it was dark. The blonde's eyes had soon adjusted – possibly faster than they would have for a normal person – and he peered over at his teammate's sleeping form.

"That guy ..." he muttered.

So he and Kiba were separated. The distance seemed a little shorter at night.


	5. Speech Patterns

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

To MeowMeow Man: I have given thought to a short story for the KibaNaruKiba pairing. I've even given thought to a longer one. Unfortunately, I can't think of ideas that haven't already been done. In this respect, it's just easier for me to try and keep the stories to drabbles. Maybe someday there will be a longer one, but not any time soon.

* * *

It was an interesting thing, though perhaps something you didn't pay attention to often, that the way people spoke could tell you something about themselves right off the bat. A lot about a person could be determined by anyone – especially those who were paying attention – in just a five minute conversation, unless you were being careful to hide it. Respect, lack thereof, and how high up on the food chain your bloodline was could all be inferred from how you spoke – particularly in casual conversation.

One of the more amusing things about Naruto, you had decided right off, was the blonde's speech pattern. That he was loud and obnoxious was a given, but if you cared to actually listen to him you would hear Naruto's very country-like accent – all datteba yo's – his attempts to be a tough guy – what with his constant ore's – and his desire to show everyone that he knew something they didn't right off by starting almost every sentence with an ano sa.

It struck you at first as odd, but now you're of the opinion that it's only right that Naruto's speech should follow his own complexities and contradictions. That, and it was damn useful when you were napping and a human-shaped ball of energy thought it would be a fun idea to pounce on you for a kiss ... the cheerful "Ano sa, ano sa, Kiba!" kept you from reflexively trying to kill it.


	6. Active Imagination

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Naruto had always been the odd man out. It wasn't something that he liked, but it was something he grudgingly accepted. All other children in Konoha had normal childhoods (as normal as the childhood of a shinobi could be) compared to his own. All other children had a parent, if not two, compared to his lack of guardian. All other children were normal – no one whispered and glared at them when they walked down the street, so they must have been. And where all other children stopped having dreams (or at least stopped admitting to them), Naruto didn't (though he'd never admitted to his dreams in the first place, because who would have listened?).

Naruto didn't have nightmares, like some children – though he would have his share of them later in life – he actually dreamed. He dreamed about having a family, about having friends, about being wanted and being a hero, and about walking into class and realizing he'd forgotten to put his clothes on. When he first worked with Kiba, on that fateful mission to get Sasuke back to Konoha, they'd grown closer than the blonde ever expected they would. At points during rest breaks they would talk about the first thing that came to mind that wasn't related to Sasuke – not always an easy task given that they needed to be focused.

_It was during one of those rest breaks that Naruto admitted to still dreaming. He hand Kiba had been sitting side by side, staring at their hands while Shikamaru and Neji conferred with each other about something that the blonde knew he didn't care less about. The silence – the sitting – was too much for the normally active blonde to be happy._

_"Naa, Kiba."_

_"What?"_

_"Do you dream?"_

_"What kind of ... never mind. No. Haven't dreamed in a long time."_

_"Oh. ... I still do."_

_"S'okay," Kiba had shrugged, to Naruto's surprise, "Nothin' wrong with it. Just means you have a more active imagination than the rest of us. I'm too exhausted to think by the end of the day, most of the time. Though given your stamina, I'm not surprised."_

He hadn't known if it was supposed to be an insult or a compliment – still wasn't, really – but at the time it hadn't mattered in the face of much more important things. Even now it didn't matter, because he'd come to recognize Kiba's off-handed way of assuring him that he was liked – something that the blonde hated admitting to needing – without being obvious about it. And sometimes when he drifted in that point of lazy bliss between being asleep and being awake, he would feel light kisses on his brow, and had to remind himself that it wasn't a dream.


	7. Musical Tastes

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"Long day?"

"Isn't it always?"

"Aa. Walk you back?"

"Sure."

Such was the way conversations between Kiba and Shikamaru always went after missions. Both would meet after their teams were released from training, and walk together until they reached Naruto's house, at which point Shikamaru was usually invited inside for a drink or a snack. But today decided it didn't want to be usual. Today Kiba froze outside the door of his and Naruto's apartment, his key just millimeters from the lock. He strained his ears to make out the fain sounds coming from the bedroom, ignoring the odd look he was receiving from Shikamaru. Then, suddenly, he let his head fall forward and hit the door with a loud thud.

"This is not happening. It's just not happening."

"What isn't?"

"Nothing," Kiba said quickly, "Nothing that you want to know about or see."

"How bothersome. Jya. I'll see you later."

Kiba waited until he couldn't see the lazy Chuunin before hesitantly opening the door. The sounds were louder and more distinct, but still muffled by the bedroom door. The Inuzuka steeled himself and marched to said door, flinging it open.

"Naruto! I did not pick a nancy boy for my mate! Turn that –"

Suddenly the situation clicked into focus as Kiba looked up. Naruto. Was dancing. Naked. Fresh from the shower. Singing. To the Spice Girls. Kiba gaped, watching Naruto swing his hips in a spin that brought the blonde to face the door instead of the window.

"I said a-whooo do you think you are? I said a-whooo, some kinda superstar? Oh, oh. You have got to!" – Their eyes locked and Naruto smirked. The blonde danced up to Kiba, so close that Kiba could feel Naruto's breath on his neck. – "Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are ..." Naruto sang softly, his hand twining with Kiba's. "Trust it, use it, prove it, groove it, show me how good you are."

The Inuzuka was of half a mind to resist until Naruto kissed his jugular and nipped the flesh. Then he decided that maybe the Spice Girls weren't so bad. Maybe.


	8. Obliviousness

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"Hey ... Naruto," Sakura called.

The blonde looked up from the ground to face his friend and one time crush. They hadn't spoken in a while – not, Naruto hoped, because she was angry with him, but more because they'd both been busy recently. He shifted the bag of groceries to his other arm for an unobstructed view, and gave Sakura a smile.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. Long time no see."

"Yeah ..." she agreed, looking down.

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip and approached cautiously, "Is something wrong?"

"N–no!" the pink haired girl denied, shaking her head vigorously. She started to take a step back, then stopped herself and clutched her left arm to her side, "No, nothing's wrong. It's just ... been a while."

"Yeah," Naruto tilted his head to the side and made as if to question her, then shut his mouth and shrugged, "Say, you wa – ?"

"When?" Sakura burst out.

"Eh?" the blonde's eyes widened in confusion, "When what?"

"When did you stop liking me?"

"What do you mean? I still like you – you're my teammate. My friend."

Sakura shook her head vigorously, "Never mind. You don't get it." And she was gone before the blonde could stop her.

"I had the weirdest conversation with Sakura-chan today," Naruto said as soon as Kiba had come in and taken off his jacket. He leaned against the doorframe and watched his boyfriend get changed. Akamaru obediently waited in the living room for them to return.

Kiba looked up, and smiled knowingly, "About liking her, right?"

Naruto blinked, "How'd you know?"

"I heard her talking to Ino about it, while I was finishing my mission report."

"In line to hand it in or just outside the door?" the blonde snorted.

"Outside the door," Kiba laughed, "You really didn't get it, did you?"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed, running a hand through his hair, "She made no sense! Of course I like –!"

"No, you don't."

"Don't you start, too."

Kiba sighed, "You live in your own little world."

"I do not!"

"Think about it: you used to practically stalk her – " here he paused to let Naruto shout, "I did not!" defensively, "asking her for dates, or kisses, or whatever. Now you're with me. Which means you no longer like her in the way you did ... I should hope."

Naruto's mouth was open to retort, but he paused mid-breath and closed it, tilting his head to the side in consideration. His eyes narrowed, "Oh," then widened, "Oh!"

The Inuzuka snorted, "'Oh' he says. You really DO live in your own world."

"I so do not," the blonde snapped, crossing the room in a few steps and biting Kiba's ear as punishment for disagreeing with him, "You're there too, or you'd have noticed sooner."

Kiba pulled away and pressed their lips together in a harsh kiss, sucking Naruto's bottom lip into his mouth and biting down on it in retaliation. Naruto moaned and opened his mouth to further inspection via Kiba's tongue. They pulled apart only when a shifting of weight caused them to stumble precariously.

"Just 'cause you kiss me doesn't mean you're not in my world," the blonde muttered.

Slightly breathless, Kiba grinned, "Did I say I minded?"


	9. Hide and Track

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

If there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto did not, under any circumstances, do, it was run away. He didn't run away from the possibility of battle, he didn't run away from a fight that he was already in, and even though in his heart of hearts he desperately wanted to, he sure as hell didn't run away from his new job – babysitting.

"Why me?" he groaned softly as Konohamaru and the kid's two friends ran up to greet him.

Beside him, Kiba chuckled loudly, "I've never seen anyone this excited unless it's you at a foreign country's faire."

The blonde managed to squeak out "Are you here to help, or are you going to encourage them?" indignantly; then he found himself staring up at the sky because he'd been tackled by three people half his height.

"Naruto no niichan!" Konohamaru shouted in greeting, even though he was sitting on Naruto's chest, "Take us to the Forbidden Forest! We want to train there!"

"What!" the older shinobi screeched, "I'm here to make sure you don't get hurt – not get you killed! You'd never last a minute in there!"

"Mou ..." the headstrong boy whined and the other two joined in with making a general noise, "We're not kids anymore, Naruto no niichan. We're stronger than you think – we're probably stronger than you! And – "

The three children suddenly stopped and looked to the side, where Kiba had planted himself against the wall and was laughing heartily. They looked at each other, and, reaching the same conclusion, jumped off the blonde simultaneously and refocused their efforts on the Inuzuka.

"What's so funny?" Konohamaru demanded.

Kiba tried to speak, but had to abort the first few tries in order to catch his breath. He got himself under control and stared at the three speculatively, "You really think you could survive the Forbidden Forest now? Do you even know what's in there? I'll bet your teacher's never put you in for the Chuunin exams, has he?"

Sheepishly, Konohamaru and his friends looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Thought so," Naruto muttered. Then louder, "So I'll train you, but there's no way I'm bringing you in there. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the kids saluted.

"Good. Now. We're going to ..." the blonde gave a caught Kiba's eye and gave a meaningful glance at his pockets, where the Inuzuka kept his seemingly endless supply of smoke bombs. The brunette grinned and slipped two out of it, and Naruto picked up again, "We're going to train your ability to track targets. Ready?"

Before the kids could blink and say 'yes', Kiba tossed down the smoke bombs, sending up a huge curtain of gray smoke, and they were gone. Leaning on the other side of the wall and listening to the indignant shouts of Konohamaru and his friends, they were hard-pressed to keep from laughing. They heard Konohamaru giving instructions, small feet on the opposite side's roof-tops, and then nothing. Kiba turned to Naruto.

"You realize this is just an over-glorified game of hide-and-seek you've got them into, right?"

The blonde grinned, pressing a kiss to Kiba's cheek, "Just get ready to run."

"Found you!" Konohamaru crowed, head popping over the wall.

"Haven't caught us!" Naruto yelled back, and he and Kiba dashed off.


	10. Jealousy at its Best

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"Ten of 'em!" Kiba snorted. 

"Eh?" Shikamaru looked over bored-ly from his leaning position against the wall.

"That was the tenth one!"

"Who was number 10?" Chouji asked, coming out from the mission report room, a paper in his hand.

Kiba waved at their friend distantly, his face drawn into an annoyed frown. Chouji raised an eyebrow at Shikamaru, who just shrugged and rolled his eyes. As the Akimichi met up with them, the other two pushed off and fell into step with him. Shikamaru fiddled with his hitae-ate irritably.

"That was the tenth guy to see Naruto with that dreamy look on his face!" Kiba fumed, "I swear, if I get any indication whatsoever that they've even made a pass at him, I'll ..."

"Kiba, it's fine," the Akimichi smiled and shook his head in fond exasperation.

Kiba was always on about something recently – to the great amusement (and irritation) of many.

"Give it a rest, Kiba," Shikamaru sighed. "Nothing's gonna happen. Iruka-sensei and Neji are in there with him, what could any one do? What would anyone _want_ to do?"

"Bunshin themselves into me? – I don't know!"

"Please. Who would want to be you?"

"Someone trying to get to the Hokage! He hasn't exactly been secretive about our relationship."

"You're annoying and making a big deal out of nothing. Naruto wouldn't let anyone do anything to him, anyway. ... Unless he wanted you to be jealous for make-up sex later."

"Shikamaru! You're not helping!"

"But he's right," Chouji chimed in, "Let it be. Naruto only looks at you, anyway. He's not gonna go off kissing other people."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still doesn't help." Kiba sighed. They turned a corner ... and stopped in shock. Standing in the hallway was Naruto ... kissing ...

"SHINO!" Kiba growled loudly and stalked over to the two, ripping his former teammate off of the blonde and ... blinking in shock as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. A kage bunshin. "Uzumaki!" the Inuzuka whirled on his mate.

The blonde grinned unrepentantly. Kiba grabbed him up and dragged him off before anything else could be said, leaving Shikamaru and Chouji behind to puzzle out for themselves what had just happened. The taller man sighed.

"How troublesome. I told him that Naruto was trying to make him jealous."


	11. Decoration

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.  
**  
Notes: **I just wanted to write a quick thank you to everyone who's been reviewing these. Your praise means a lot to me, but remember that I won't balk at constructive critisms. If you see something that doesn't really mesh, or spelling mistakes that I might have missed, feel free to let me know. It's the only way I'll get any better.

* * *

"Oi, Naruto?"

"Eh?"

Kiba pointed to the lone plant on the window sill over the blonde's bed, "Why's that one special?"

"Huh? The gardinea?"

"Yeah. What's it special? It's the only one up there."

The blonde shrugged, "It's the only one that needs semi-direct sunlight. I really shouldn't have it, I guess – I always worry about it on long missions. It can't always be up there – too much direct sunlight fries it."

"Oh," the Inuzuka paused, thought about saying something, and shrugged, "It's got nice flowers."

"Yeah. Can be you believe Ino helped me pick it out?"

"Sort of. Was she the only one working or something?"

Now Naruto shrugged, "Probably. But it really is perfect. It's the only flowering plant I've got. I think it adds to the room."

"You add to the room," the brunette muttered off-handedly, but even Naruto could catch the emotion and meaning behind it. He nipped Kiba's under-jaw in thanks, then licked the area softly. "Even so. You could get other ones. Flowering plants, I mean," Kiba added roughly.

"Yeah, but I like this one. It's really easy to care for. And I don't want my house to turn into Ino's flower shop. This is tasteful."

"Indeed," Kiba smiled and caught the blonde's lips with his own, "I think you're a tasteful person. C'mon. Breakfast."


	12. The Philosophy of Good Moods

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"Y'know ..." Kiba started thoughtfully, chewing on a dango stick thoughtfully, arms crossed behind his head. His eyes unfocused and slid after a pedestrian as he trailed off.

There was an expectant silence that amounted to nothing – the Inuzuka stayed silent. With an annoyed sigh and a tiny roll of his eyes – this particular interruption of his peace wasn't enough to merit much more than that – Shikamaru placed down his cup of tea and turned to the Inuzuka boy. He propped an elbow on his knee, placed his cheek on his fist, and raised an eyebrow. Just his luck, or lack thereof, that Kiba didn't seem inclined to be very observant today – the brunette kept staring off at the street in front of him.

"What?" Shikamaru drawled at last, annoyance dripping from the word.

"Oh," Kiba snapped back to the present, lifting his eyes to watch Naruto playing with Akamaru. "It just struck me that Naruto's always in a good mood."

Shikamaru's other eyebrow joined its twin near his hairline, "What? What's that got to do with anything? Do you _want_ to see Naruto in a bad mood?"

"No!" the Inuzuka shot back defensively, blushing a little when he realized just who he was talking to. Shikamaru was not the sort of person one thought of when they had something abstract or whimsical to discuss. "Of course not. ... It's just ... it's weird that he's always so happy, is all. I mean, even his anger is half the time just an act – and it never lasts. I've never seen him stay angry, or sad, or anything. It can't be healthy."

Shikamaru snorted.

"Oh, forget it."

"Bah. You're acting like some neglected girlfriend. I'm not going to bother with you if you're going to be so troublesome."

"I am not!" the Inuzuka snapped, snapping the dango stick between his teeth and spitting the pieces out, "It's just weird. I don't understand how he does it, is all."

"Right, right," the chuunin said, holding his hands out placatingly, "Look – maybe he likes being happy. He's not the sort of person to spend his life brooding like Uchiha." – he was cut off as Kiba snorted over the mental image of Naruto dying his hair black and walking around under a perpetual storm cloud. – "If you're that worried about it, let him know."

A loud laugh caught both their attentions, and they looked up to see Naruto snickering madly as Akamaru licked his face, in a dog's version of a kiss. Kiba's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped, and Shikamaru was forced to blink a few times.

"Y'know ..." the Inuzuka muttered, "I think it'd be okay if I left that part to Akamaru."


	13. Burdens

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Naruto growled lowly in his throat at his long-time rival, who, as he inevitably did during their confrontations, stuck his nose up in the air. The dark-haired boy maintained a countenance that was somewhere between boredom and pursed-lipped-disdain, but never managed to decide which one it should be expressing. In that respect, Naruto mused idly, still accessing what his next move should be, Shikamaru certainly had Sasuke beat. The lazy shinobi's face always showed what was appropriate for the situation.

Naruto chose an air of vague carelessness, resting his elbows lightly on the window sill and willing his visible annoyance away. He'd never get through to Sasuke like that.

"What _is_ your problem, Sasuke-teme? You never did tell me," he said conversationally.

He thought that Sasuke might have sighed with impatience, but it was so soft that it might have just been a draft of air.

"I don't have to answer to you, dobe," the dark haired boy replied.

"You just did," Naruto said, and had it been 10 years previous, he would have grinned in triumph. Now he could hardly summon a sense of dry amusement.

"Hn."

"Still talking in nasal sounds, eh, Sasuke-teme?" he asked, and gargled what might have been interpreted as a laugh. He moved back from the bars and leaned with his back against the sun-warmed bricks. He squinted into the bright light - it seemed almost like the darkness inside Sasuke's abode had made it's way to cover him, a thought which did make Naruto give a genuine laugh, "Figures you'd be the one who never changed. Everyone thought it would be me, but I always knew better."

It wasn't bragging; it was a simple statement and Sasuke knew Naruto was right, so he remained silent. He leaned with his back to the cool bricks, unconsciously mimicking the pose he could almost see Naruto in. He stared blankly at the floor.

"I figured out your problem for you, you know," Naruto began after a pause, his voice casual and airy. Sasuke's silence was taken for an invitation to keep talking. "Your clan became a chain. They chained you to a life that could never satisfy you - because after you avenged them, what would you do? What could you do? They were nothing more than a chain, Sasuke-teme, and you weren't good enough to get out from under them because the burden was too much for a kid."

"Shut up."

"No, I don't think I will."

"Then leave."

The blonde continued as though he hadn't heard, "When you get your head out of your ass and think about it, you might see that, too. You need to start your own path through life, or you'll never be able to reclaim it. You've been living for them, and that's no good." There was silence until Naruto pushed off from the wall. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"... I wish you wouldn't," Sasuke murmured, listening to the disappearing footsteps until he could no longer hear them, "... well ... later, then."

Naruto kept his steps purposeful until he reached his house. The door swung open before he could even knock, and he let himself fall into Kiba's arms, relishing in the warmth emitting from the other's body.

"I know I said I wouldn't ask, but you're hurting yourself by going everyday."

"I'm not," Naruto denied and grinned wanly, "I'm just depressing myself. Hurting myself it a lot easier than that."

Kiba chuckled humorlessly, "Even so."

"It's all right."

"No it's not."

Naruto shrugged, "It's something I need to do. He'll come around. I'll make him."

Kiba kissed his neck and stroked his hair, thinking all the while that the Uchiha was too far gone to ever come around but knowing that the hope was something he couldn't take away from his lover, "Come on. We'll get dinner."

A blue eye peaked up at him, "Ramen?"

The Inuzuka laughed, "Yeah, yeah. Ramen."


	14. Geekdom

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"Check it out!" Kiba said proudly, emerging from the closet floor covered in dust.

In his hands he clutched ... well ... Naruto honestly didn't know what it was. He cocked his head to the side and stared at it, but continued to draw a blank. He hold Kiba as much.

"'What is this'? 'What is this'! You mean to tell me you've never seen a radio-cassette player before?"

Naruto just shook his head, "Should I have? No one else has one. It looks really old to me."

Kiba thought about that briefly, and shrugged – hell if he was going to admit his geekiness to the blonde without a fight. "No one you know, apparently. I've seen 'em lots of times. Anyway. This is the single most genius invention in the world!"

"What do you do with it?"

Kiba sighed dramatically, "You poor, deprived child." He stood and walked to the wall, plugging the device in. Then he dove back into the closet they were cleaning out, coming out covered in more dust and holding a box.

"You're bathing the minute we get home, you know," Naruto said, wrinkling his nose.

"Yeah, yeah," Kiba waved him off, selecting a strange looking thing from the box and inserting it into the funny object called a radio-cassette player. He pushed a button and sat back.

Music came floating out of the speakers and Naruto's eyes got very wide. He leapt off the bed to Kiba's side.

"Woah! Fuckin' awesome! It's like an old version of the CD player Sasuke has!"

Kiba frowned at the mention of the Uchiha heir. He took a lock of blonde hair and tugged lightly, getting the blonde's attention in the form of a plaintive pout. The Inuzuka smiled and ruffled the soft hair, which soon had the blonde leaning against his chest, eyes closed in contentment, heedless of the dust. The song on the tape changed.

"Kiss me, out of the bearded, nightly, beside the green, green grass, swing, swing, swing the spinning step, you wear those shoes and I will wear that dress. Ohh kiss me, beneath the milky twilight, lead me, out on the moonlit floor ..."

"That's a good idea," Kiba murmured.

Naruto opened his eyes and tilted his head up, "What it? Having a moonlit floor?"

"So kiss me," the tape player commanded.

"Oh, that," the blonde grinned and blew a kiss in it's direction. Kiba tugged on Naruto's hair again, pouting, causing the other to laugh out loud. "All right," the shinobi snickered, "C'mon, on the bed. I'll kiss you there."


	15. Heated Musings

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"Na ... Kiba?" Naruto asked slowly, as if even he were seriously debating the worthiness of speaking and only reluctantly doing so – a rarity for the blonde.

Not that Kiba could blame him. Speaking took effort, and effort meant spending energy, and energy was not something one wanted to expend on days reaching over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, the Inuzuka rolled his head lazily so that he was looking at the couch from where he lay, spread eagled and sprawled on his back on the floor, catching sight of Naruto's dangling arm.

"Yeah?" he asked, watching long, slender fingers twitch.

"... What do you think perfect blue is?"

Kiba's eyes shot from the blonde's hand to his face, automatically checking Naruto's eyes to see if he was serious – but the eyes were closed in lazy bliss.

"What?"

"What do you think perfect blue is?" Naruto repeated, "Shika' said it was a sky like today's – with perfect clouds n' stuff. Neji wouldn't answer. Hinata stuttered somethin' 'bout the ocean. Ino said an iris. Chouji said it was the color on the wings of a butterfly. So what d'you think it is?"

Kiba dragged his head back to its original position so he could stare at the ceiling while he thoughts. Naruto's eyes hadn't opened once during his speech, so there was really no reason to be watching him. It left Kiba feeling vaguely disappointed.

"I dunno. I never thought about it," the Inuzuka said at length.

Naruto made a humming noise, "So think about it."

"I'll let you know when I come up with an answer," Kiba promised.

The blonde shrugged and cracked open an eye. The brunette caught it and held it's gaze, and smirked to himself. _Perfect blue, eh? It's right there. He doesn't have to know that, though._

Later that night, when they were both in bed, with nothing but a sheet separating them from the blasting fan, Kiba watched Naruto sleep. It wasn't something he'd ever done before, but now he couldn't help himself. Those perfect blue eyes were closed again, leaving Kiba with that odd disappointment from before. He sighed self-depreciating-ly.

"I'm such a woman."

Even so, the Inuzuka couldn't stop himself from kissing Naruto's eyelids and comforting himself with the knowledge that he'd see the perfect blue in the morning.


	16. Fear and Loathing in a Hospital

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

_"I'm gonna be the greatest ninja ever!"_

Inuzuka Kiba paced the hallway fretfully, managing to be silent even when frantic, seeing nothing even though he stared at the floor. He shook his head, attempting to clear it of Naruto's voice, proclaiming his greatness to anyone who happened to be in hearing range. He knew shouldn't be thinking about it. He didn't even know _why_ he was thinking about it. He paced, his footsteps becoming more audible as exhaustion made its presence known.

_I'm probably annoying them all ... like Naruto would if he was out here ..._

Nobody thought to stop him. He tried to think of nothing. He tried to think of other things. He kept coming back to memories of times spent with Naruto, of kisses shared, arguments had, and times spent making up.

Akamaru gave a mournful whine.

Kiba continued pacing.

_"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm not going to lose to any of you!"_

Nara Shikamaru sat on a bench, hands loosely in his lap, as he had done so many years before. Only Neji wasn't the one he was worried about this time. Chouji sat close to him, lending quiet support. Shikamaru was grateful for the point of focus. He couldn't bear to watch Kiba's pacing. He didn't want to hear Akamaru's whining.

_This shouldn't be happening. We shouldn't be here._

His lips were drawn together tightly, so much so that they were little more than a white line across his face. He stared at the floor as if it held the answers to life, the universe, and everything. He scowled.

The floor wouldn't give him 42.

Kiba continued pacing.

_"Stop babbling about stupid things like fate, because you're not a loser like me!"_

Hyuuga Neji leaned tensely against the wall, unable to sit. His eyes followed Kiba's tireless path. Ten steps to the left. Turn. Ten steps back. Turn. Ten steps. Turn. Ten steps. Turn. His eyes strayed to the door, set tall and imposing in the hallway, fighting back the anxiety that threatened to consume him. What would happen should ... The Hyuuga shook his head fiercely.

"I will not think of it," he mouthed to the wall, "because it won't happen."

He tightened his hands around crossed arms, knuckles turning white. The blonde had wormed his way into the heart Neji now wished he didn't have. He couldn't lose him now.

He knew none of them could.

Kiba continued pacing.

_"A real ninja never gives up, and neither will I!"_

Rock Lee sat on the bench across from Shikamaru, his body tense and his eyes firmly fixed on the door of the emergency room. He wished he knew what was happening. He wished it didn't have to. He wished the doors would open.

Funnily his wish was granted.

Tsunade stepped out, her face tired and drawn. Her eyes brimmed with relief as she turned to face the group of anxious shinobi. Sakura closed the doors behind her, then ran to Lee and began sobbing her pent-up tension into his shirt.

"He'll be okay, now. We've got him stabilized; now the kyuubi's at work."

Kiba would deny it to his dying breath, but he slid to the floor, buried his face in Akamaru's fur, and cried.

_"You won't be laughing when I'm the next Hokage!"_

Somewhere along the line they'd forgotten that the Hokage wasn't invincible.


	17. Why Machines Suck

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

It was old, it was a piece of crap, and it whined. Machines were not meant to whine, but this one did not follow the laws of machines. It whined and it beeped and it did God only knew what else to tear apart one's sanity, all under the guise of tracking electronic signals. 

_Who the hell bothers with audio waves these days, anyway?_

Inuzuka Kiba was decided. He was going to kill it. Oh yes. As best anybody could kill a machine, he was going to kill this one. It didn't stand a chance in hell. Fuck, a _snowball_ had more of a chance in hell than this thing did.

"Why the hell are we working with this again?" he snapped, hands planted firmly over his ears.

"Because we need it," Neji said quietly.

"More than sanity?" the Inuzuka grumbled, stuffing his ears with his fingers.

"Ch'. Your complaining is more troublesome than the machine," Shikamaru muttered. He pulled on his earring idly and stared out the window, "The morons down there are futzing with technology for their messages, and we need to know what exactly they're messaging."

The machine whined.

"I know that," Kiba said impatiently, "But this thing we're using is a piece of crap. And it's annoying and giving me a headache. Hell, Uzumaki's even gone."

Akamaru whined, long and low, and yipped angrily in agreement. Neji scanned their small room, and noted duly that one Uzumaki Naruto was indeed not present. The corners of his mouth drew down in a tiny frown.

"Someone should check on him."

"I'll get 'im!" the Inuzuka said immediately, "C'mon Akamaru."

The white dog was up in less than a second and out the door. To their credit, neither was ready to act so immature that they risked giving up their location – both left as silently as any jounin would. Neji glanced thoughtfully from the door to Shikamaru, who still looked out the window.

"You did that on purpose," the chuunin said.

"Send him after Naruto?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps," Neji shrugged and settled by the machine, cursing inwardly as it pinged at him. "Then again, perhaps I just want the first swing."

Shikamaru sighed, but the corner of his lips turned up in a smirk. "Get in line."

Akamaru sniffed the air, leading Kiba to the roof of their current hideout. Naruto lounged on the wall, kicking his feet idly as he stared down to the streets below him. Nothing was happening; people hardly passed this way on a sunny day, and today it was overcast. He didn't appear to notice the arrival of either Akamaru or Kiba, so the Inuzuka took a moment to observe the shorter boy. It wasn't often that anyone managed to catch Konoha's Loudest Ninja in silence or stillness. Kiba sighed – it was his opinion that silence didn't really suit the blonde.

"Bored?" he finally asked, scuffing his feet on the roof as he crossed it.

Naruto glanced up and offered a mild smile, "Headache."

"Machine?"

The blonde nodded.

"Me, too."

"We can suffer together, na?"

"Yep."

Naruto moved, making space for Kiba to join him on the roof's ledge. Kiba accepted the seat and they sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, with Akamaru curled up behind them.

"Feel up to making out?" the blonde asked, ruining the peace.

Kiba grinned. "Always."

"Excellent."


	18. The Best Medicine

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"No."

"Oh, come on Kiba. I know this stuff mortally offends your tender sensibilities and everything, but you need to take it."

"I do not, 'neechan! I'll get better without it."

"But not nearly as fast as you would with it," Kiba's sister countered, "Quit whining and say 'ahh'."

Kiba clenched his jaw. "No."

"You are insufferable and annoying, you know that?"

"Yeah," he laughed as his sister rolled her eyes – a laugh which was quickly interrupted by a long series of body-shaking coughs.

"There, you see? Now take the damn medicine."

"No!"

"Y'know, Kiba, you should really do what your sister says."

Older sister and younger brother both jumped in their seats and whipped around to look at the doorway. Naruto stood there, leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a lopsided smile on.

"What're you doing here?" the siblings asked simultaneously.

"We do have a mission Puppy – Akamaru filled me in on the situation up here and let me in, by the way. Nice dog, that one. Anyway, I figured I should offer a little help."

"Who're you calling 'puppy'!" Kiba growled.

"You," the blonde said flippantly, "Now stop complaining and say 'ahh'. I'm not going on a mission with a sick dog. You could compromise us."

"Right – before or after your constant yapping got us killed?"

"Only after your lung hacked itself up and out of your body and gave away our position."

Their verbal bantering was interrupted by the soft sounds of Kiba's sister laughing into her hand. Kiba pouted, but she only held out the medicine. The pout grew larger and he threw in puppy-eyes for effect, but the effort was wasted. Eventually Kiba sighed and gave into the combined pressures of Naruto and his sister and he opened his mouth.

"Ahhhhhhhhn ..."

"Good boy," Naruto said smugly as the medicine was shoved into Kiba's mouth.

Kiba bared his fangs at the blonde, but only half-heartedly. The other half was working on not gagging in front of the two. His sister laughed outright and stood, leaving the room to put the medicine in a travel-safe bottle. The two boys fell silent, looking at each other awkwardly.

"Well ... um ... I'll see you. Shortly. At the gate. Bring your medicine. Yeah. See you," Naruto stuttered after a moment.

"Yeah. Sure ... see you," Kiba said, offering a sideways grin.

Naruto left the room, casting one glance backwards before Kiba was fully out of sight. As he walked back to his house, he saw a younger couple kissing by a store they'd just walked out of. He sighed wistfully, then rapidly shook his head. Thinking about kissing Kiba was not something he should be doing.


	19. Seeing Red

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Not that Hyuuga Neji would ever admit it, but the first time he'd seen the kyuubi's chakra swirling around Naruto during their Chuunin exam match so many years ago, he'd been stunned completely thoughtless.

Not that Hyuuga Neji would ever admit it, but the first thought he'd had was: _That gives "seeing red" a whole new meaning_. And it did, because if you saw red coming off Naruto, you were in trouble. Lots of trouble. Sometimes Neji wondered if Naruto saw red when the kyuubi's chakra merged with the blonde's, or if the world was tinted purple. He never asked.

Not that Hyuuga Neji would ever admit it, but he saw a little bit of red every time he saw Kiba casually touch Naruto, every time he saw Naruto smile at Kiba, every time he saw them kiss in the streets where all could see if they looked.

Not that Hyuuga Neji would ever admit it, but he wished it was himself in Kiba's place.


	20. Homeward Bound

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

The long walk to the gates of Konoha never seemed quite so long as when you were bleeding from your everywhere. Noone knew this better than one Uzumaki Naruto, who was never quite as careful to not get hurt as everyone knew a shinobi should be. Naruto had always ignored those reproachful stares, had always sat impatiently through the worried lectures with a wide grin, and had always gone out and done what he would always do: protecting Konoha even at the cost of his life. It didn't matter, it never would – the kyuubi wanted to live, and it couldn't live if it's host died, especially with the rate of their merging.

The blonde winced as he tripped over a loose stone and jarred his broken ribs. Blood dripped down his arm, running over fingers clenched around his left shoulder, to mark his path as it dripped from limp fingertips. That arm was currently dislocated from its socket. His vision was tinted around the edges, but he bared his teeth and continued towards the huge doors that meant home and safety.

"...to! ... ruto!"

Naruto looked up in response to the faint voice calling his name, recognizing it immediately as belonging to his boyfriend. He frowned when he saw that Kiba was much closer than he should be to sound that faint.

"Naruto!"

The blonde summoned the strength to give a grin and a jaunty wave, ignoring the white obscuring his vision. He could still sniff out Kiba's comforting presence and his vision would clear soon enough. It was a little worrisome that he world suddenly went off kilter, but strong arms wrapped around him and held him steady.

"Naruto!" Kiba admonished, "What have you done to yourself?! No, never mind, it doesn't matter. We've gotta get you to the hospital. You need to rest; the kyuubi can't heal all this without help. Come on, I've got ya."

The blonde smiled, amused as always by Kiba's mothering instincts, and closed his eyes. "Sorry, Kiba. Didn' mean to."

"You never do, you dope," the Inuzuka muttered, "But it happens anyway."

Naruto shrugged.

"Stop moving," Kiba sighed, "You're hurt enough without aggravating the injuries. Tsunade-sama's gonna kill you."

"Don' remind me," Naruto groaned.

"Someone has to. You seem to conveniently forget it all the time."

"I've been told before that I'm not smart – doesn't that affect memory?"

"Don't believe everything you hear. I don't."

"Hmm, sure."

There was silence for a few moments, as the white cleared out of Naruto's vision, to be replaced by exhaustion and ever-increasing darkness.

"Naa, Kiba?"

"Aa?"

"'M gonna pass out soon."

"Shit," the Inuzuka spat, shifting the blonde to a more comfortable holding position and speeding up. He placed something that felt like a kiss to Naruto's hair, just as the blonde felt his body going numb. "Just don't die on me, you dope."

"No' ... gonna," Naruto sighed.

The world went black just as the doors to Konoha, and home, opened.


	21. Grim Musings

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

It seemed to her that this room should have a sign on the door marking it as belonging to Kiba and Naruto, given how much time they spent in here. She wasn't sure when, but somewhere along the line it had become a room that only they occupied. People coming to visit them signed in at the front desk and simply came here, and the desk clerks didn't even have to ask the visitors whom they were visiting.

Sakura nodded to Neji, Hinata, and Kiba's older sister, all waiting patiently for visiting hours to begin, as she entered the room. Tsunade would be down shortly to see her boy, she knew, but it was part of her duties to check up on them regularly. The curtains hadn't been drawn, because Naruto loved the sunlight and the beds had been pushed together in the center of the room, because the first time Kiba had woken without Naruto next to him, he'd forced himself to the blonde's bed and reopened a slew of wounds.

Akamaru let a quite yip of greeting, wagging his tail twice. She pet him absently as she passed. The first time the hospital staff had tried to keep Akamaru out of Kiba's room, he'd put _them_ in the hospital. No one had tried since, and the dog was always careful to stay out of the way of the doctors and nurses.

"Good morning, Akamaru. Good morning, you two," Sakura said, smiling a little. "You've already attracted quite the crowd, you know."

She checked Kiba's vitals first, knowing that he was in worse shape (though not by much) than Naruto. Kiba was stabilized and resting. With a nod of satisfaction, she moved to the other side of the bed and checked over the blonde. He too was stabilized, and the kyuubi's chakra was helping his recovery progress. She ran thorough fingers through his hair fondly when she was done, frowning as dried flecks of blood fell to his pillow.

Violence, no matter which way you looked, was a part of a ninja's life. Their schooling included anatomy of the human body, so they could be more efficient when fighting. They grew up learning how to hurt, how to make things explode, and how to kill. Only rarely did an actively working ninja stop and take time to learn how to heal, and she, as she was sure the Hokage did, often wondered how many people had been lost because of that. They grew up with the knowledge that they might die at any time, and that they might watch their friends die before their eyes. They had a rule book in which they were forbidden to cry. The mission was always the priority. There was no choice.

Unless you were Uzumaki Naruto, or one of his (as they were commonly called among the villagers) self-appointed bodyguards.

The blonde had never been one to allow rules to get in his way. He didn't care who you were – no one died on his watch, even he had to rescue you at the cost of his own safety. Similarly certain other shinobi, namely Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Neji, refused to let Naruto die on _their_ watch, even if they had to rescue him at the cost of _their_ safety. Hyuuga Neji was admittedly more restrained when it came to their missions, because he was the logical one and the logical one knew that one of them had to be alive to drag the other two back to Konoha. The array of injuries Kiba and Naruto came home with was often enough to make Sakura nauseous.

Tsunade entered the room with much less fanfare than Sakura was used to, an angry frown on her face that lessened only when she saw Naruto resting peacefully. The pink haired girl tilted her head, wondering what had put her teacher in such a foul mood, but said nothing.

"Bastards," Tsunade muttered, "Every last one of them."

"Tsunade-sama?"

The blonde woman went about the motions of checking vitals mechanically. She said nothing, but the set of her jaw and the hardness in her eyes told Sakura what she needed to know to piece the rest together.

"We got them, though," Tsunade said when she was done. She kissed Naruto's forehead and said over her shoulder as she left, "We got them all. You can let the others in."

Sakura smiled grimly and held the door open for the waiting group.

People really should know better than to attack the Hokage's favorite ninja.


	22. Cat's Cradle

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

_When Naruto was six years old, he once chanced upon two girls – nearly his age – playing a game in which string was wound about their fingers. Though he knew that he should continue running away from the moron who was supposed to be his "guardian", or at least looking around for a place to hide until the man got bored of pretending to search for him, the blonde stopped in his tracks and watched. The string was a variety of colors, and he watched as fingers – nimble despite the girls' immaturity – swept the string over and under and around, creating one set of intricate patterns after another. He looked to both sides and firmed his jaw before crossing the street and stopping just a foot away from the girls._

_He pointed at the string. "What's that?"_

_Neither girl looked at him, engrossed in their hands. The red head replied._

_"Cat's Cradle."_

_Naruto cocked his head to the side, his nose wrinkling in confusion. "What's that?"_

_"A game," said the other girl, shrugging._

_"Done!" crowed the red head._

_The other, whose fingers the string had ended up on, held it up so the blonde could see. "See? The cat's cradle."_

_Naruto peered closely at the colorful string, following the lines around and around with his eyes until he felt slightly dizzy. "How do you hold a cat in it?"_

_"Silly, you don't hold anything in it. It just looks like one." said the red head._

_"Oh," the blonde boy stepped back. "So real cradles aren't colorful?"_

_The girls looked at each other, and shrugged at the same time. The brunette spoke, "I dunno. They prob'ly are ... but they don't hold cats. They hold people – so they're much bigger."_

_"Oooooh."_

_Naruto rocked back on his heels. The brunette flicked her fingers, flexing them, and the string un-wound itself from them. The blonde saw that the string was actually a loop. She held it out to him._

_"Wanna try? We'll teach you."_

_Naruto was about to nod eagerly, already in the process of reaching out to take it, his eyes bright with the excitement of learning something new. He was stopped by the angry noises that often came from his so-called guardian's mouth – angry words that Naruto didn't know the meanings of, but was pretty sure they weren't nice. Angry words that were always directed at him._

_He dropped his hand quickly. "Sorry. I guess I can't."_

_The girls stared at him and then at the approaching man in confusion._

_"Miserable demon! I'll take your hand off if you touch them," the guardian roared._

_The red head took the loop of string from her friend, "Here. You can get someone else to teach you." Boldly, she stepped forward and put the string in his pocket. She said lowly, as if sharing a secret, "We're not supposed to play with the demon, so if you're the demon we can't play with you. But you can find books that'll show you how."_

_Naruto put his hand in his pocket and clenched the loop of string in his fist. His guardian was reaching for him, so he leaped out of reach and started running. He had a new mission._

"What are you doing?" Kiba yawned.

The blonde shinobi didn't look up from the string twined around his fingers, feet propped on his desk top and hat resting on the table. "Cat's cradle."

The Inuzuka Clan Head came around and perched on the arm of the Hokage's chair, watching his lover work the string. "I thought you needed two people."

"You played cat's cradle?"

Kiba blushed, "Shut up. My sister's not that much older than I am."

Naruto snickered, "There are ones you can do by yourself."

"Ah." The Inuzuka bent over and kissed the blonde on the lips, effectively drawing his attention away from the string. He pulled away just enough to speak clearly, "playing together is so much more fun."

"Horny pervert."

"The pot says to the kettle."

"Home?"

Kiba shook his head and grinned wickedly, "Desk."


	23. Sweet Innuendo

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

"I want candy."

Naruto blinked, turning in surprise to his mate. "That's something I never expected to hear from you."

"Oh?"

"You don't seem the type to suddenly proclaim a desire for candy."

"You do. I'm always surprised that you don't."

"Don't what?"

"Proclaim a desire for candy."

"Oh. I don't have enough of a sweet tooth for that. I prefer sweet balls and hard candies to processed sugar."

Kiba made a mock-shocked gesture, "Oh? Really? Sweet balls? Tell me – how does one get ones balls to be sweet?"

Naruto groaned and thwapped his mate, none too lightly. "You are worse than Kakashi-sensei!"

"Oi! I resent that."

"Stop making perverted comments, then!"

"Geez, so pushy. So abusive! Naruto doesn't love me anymore!"

While Kiba rolled on the floor in his "pain"; the blonde laughed at him. Finally Naruto pounced on the Inuzuka and grabbed his hands, pinning the brunette to the floor.

"Are you done yet?"

"Will you give me candy? I still want candy!"

Naruto grinned, kissing Kiba's lips quickly, "How about sweet balls?"

"That'll do."


	24. Good Nights

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

As far as Inuzuka Kiba knew, shinobi didn't often say "good night" to each other. To their parents, maybe, and to non-shinobi friends, but not each other. Kiba didn't think shinobi really had 'good nights' to begin with – there was too much uncertainty in what lay just hours ahead for any of them to be relaxed enough to have a 'good night'. A 'good night' by shinobi standards was one in which they managed to catch a few uninterrupted hours of sleep – preferably with a trusted friend watching their back. Generally shinobi had 'nights with a moderate amount of sleep' instead, and never bothered with the pleasantry when they parted company.

Naruto and Kiba were really no different from any other shinobi, except for that one thing. The blonde had always said good night to his plants, Kiba had learned early on, and while he didn't understand it, the Inuzuka certainly wasn't going to call him on it. When they started going out, Naruto decided that it was time he added human to the tradition. Kiba was confused the first time the blonde said 'good night' to him, and hadn't said anything in return – he'd blinked and let the words wash over him and walked away. But after the next few times, Kiba automatically said "good night" in return. The grin that Naruto gave him was well worth any embarrassing feelings suffered. Not that Kiba understood why saying good night was so important to Naruto, but he was willing to go along with it.

Then one day, about two months after they'd begun dating, Naruto left on a mission, one that came up suddenly and was obviously important because he didn't say good bye. He wasn't there that night to say 'good night' and Kiba found, to his horror, that he couldn't sleep. He paced his room, growling softly to himself every now and then.

Akamaru barked softly at him.

Kiba stopped and turned to his dog, "Sorry. ... I can't sleep. ... Here, I'll go to Naruto's house, all right? Then you can sleep here."

The little dog barked again.

"You can come if you want," Kiba said, "But I don't think I'll be able to sleep there, either."

When they arrived at the blonde's house, Kiba went straight into Naruto's bedroom. The bed was made, a sure sign that the blonde had not been in the house since early afternoon. The Inuzuka sighed and flopped onto the bed, burying his face into the pillow, inhaling the comforting scent that was his blonde's. Though he would deny it with his last breath if he had to, Kiba kissed the pillow and whispered:

"Good night."

He fell into sleep soon after.


	25. Kept Apart

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Sometimes it seemed to Kiba that no matter how close he was to Naruto, there was always something keeping them apart. Hell if he knew what it was, and he got the feeling so rarely that he would forget he'd ever felt it by the next time it happened, but he was getting that feeling right now. It was ridiculous, really, considering Naruto was pressed so close against him, cool fingers playing over Kiba's warm skin. But it was a feeling Kiba just couldn't shake; the feeling that he was looking at Naruto from the other side of a window. The feeling that Naruto was just on the other side of a fence, but wasn't going to let Kiba find the gate. 

Sometimes he hated Naruto for it.

More often he hated himself for it.

He unconsciously stroked his fingers around the seal on Naruto's stomach, not even really seeing it. Naruto shifted a little. He didn't break the silence for another few minutes, though, so when he did, Kiba wasn't prepared for it.

"He's in a cage."

Kiba blinked. "What?"

"Kyuubi. The seal – when I see him, the seal is a cage. Really just a huge iron gate – I can't see the top very well 'cause it's tall."

"Hmm."

"Sometimes I wonder which side of the gate I'm really on. He keeps getting closer, more real."

Kiba's grip on Naruto's shoulder tightened, any ill feelings towards his supposed distance from the blonde vanishing. "You're on my side of the gate. And I'm going to keep it that way."


	26. Poetry

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Naruto once wrote Kiba a poem – or what he thought was a poem – for Valentine's day, because he saw a show on TV where the man read the woman a poem and the woman had hugged him. Then she'd kissed him. He thought if he did the same thing, maybe Kiba would hug him. Kiba probably woulddn't kiss him, but then kissing was icky so Naruto didn't blame him. Kiba was a better bet for hugs than a lot of other people, except maybe Chouji, but Naruto wasn't sure Shikamaru would let Chouji hug him and he wasn't sure that Chouji would hug him without Shikamaru's approval.

So he'd written a poem. Sort of. He'd started it, anyway. Given up about two lines in and started again. Got to the point where he was almost finished before throwing it out. He spent about five minutes glaring at a blank piece of paper on the third try before throwing his arms up in disgust.

What was Kiba going to want with a poem from the kid everybody hated, anyway? It wasn't like he and Kiba were friends. But it got cold in the house and he'd never been hugged that he could remember and he really wanted one, so maybe it couldn't hurt.

Naruto turned on old, barely working radio in his kitchen. Songs came through, commercials for shuriken polish and cleaner and air fresheners and soaps. People talking. He switched through stations, looking for something that didn't suck. He came across a talk show, another talk show, and a radio drama. And paused.

" – tell me what I have to do," said a man.

"Yusuke, no. You can't do anything – it won't work," said a woman.

There was a heavy sigh and the sound of footsteps. A hand on a knob, the door opening. But it didn't close. The man's voice was sad, tired. Cold maybe.

"I would have done anything to make you mine."

"I know. But I can't let you throw your life away for a dream."

Naruto turned off the radio, thinking rapidly. Maybe ... He ran back to the table, grabbed his pen, and started writing.

Kiba was confused. He turned the folded paper over and over in his hands, frowning. The handwriting his name was written in wasn't familiar. He didn't think any of the girls in his class would send him a note, either, one liners or not.

_I would do anything to make you mine._

He looked at the calendar. It wasn't his birthday. It wasn't Valentine's day. So who would be sending him love notes?


	27. Ocean

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Kiba sometimes thought that loving Naruto was like loving the ocean. Both were beautiful, both could never truly be fathomed because no one could ever know exactly what lay beneath their surfaces, and both were dangerous. Churning and bubbling and raging and calm – Kiba never knew what face of either he was going to be presented with next.

The Inuzuka flicked a casual glance over to his right; Naruto was still leaning over the railing of the boat, much like Kiba was, staring into the blue waters. They were on a body guarding mission with Shikamaru and Sakura, but Shikamaru was on the roof of the boat's cabin and the Hokage only knew where Sakura had gone off to. So that left Kiba and Naruto together on the main deck, with nothing to do but stare at the endless waters until it was lunch time.

"Na, Kiba."

He hadn't even heard Naruto approach. Had the brunette been anyone else, he would have jumped in surprise. But you didn't become a jounin without learning a few things, and you didn't sleep with someone like Naruto without memorizing his scent and power signature. Kiba turned to the blonde languidly.

"Yeah?"

"You think we could swim there faster than this tub?"

Kiba laughed, "Probably, but I'd rather not test it."

The blonde's eyes narrowed mischievously, "You don't?"

"No. Sakura'd get on our asses about it."

"Like that'd be a bad thing?"

Kiba rolled his eyes and swatted half heartedly at Naruto's head. The blonde gamely ducked away, laughing. He caught Kiba's wrist and held onto it. The Inuzuka leaned back against the boat railing and raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly do you plan to do with my wrist?"

Naruto shrugged and contemplated the wrist for a long moment. It was unwrapped, bare and lightly tanned, different from Naruto's own pale, banded wrists. The blonde turned Kiba's wrist over so he could see the blue veins running under Kiba's skin. He brought it to his lips impulsively and kissed it. Kiba blinked. The blonde laughed and dropped the wrist, shrugging.

"Don't ask."

"Don't tell," Kiba snorted.

Naruto grinned and turned back to the ocean. He stared out at it for a few moments before blurting, "I used to hate the ocean."

"Really?"

"I thought it was a huge bathtub," the blonde said, grinning shamelessly, "and it was gonna overflow and drown us all. It came up right to the shore like the edge of a bathtub and everything."

"Why was your bathtub overflowing?" Kiba asked, eyebrow meeting his hairline.

Naruto put a hand on the back of his head and scratched it in embarrassment, "I used to fill it right up to the top. Every time I got in the water went over."

Kiba laughed and ruffled the blonde's hair. He didn't admonish the other boy, though. Naruto wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't have his life quirks, and Kiba liked Naruto.


	28. At Breakfast

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

They were sitting down to breakfast, as they did whenever they could manage the time. Neither remembered when their new tradition had started, but it had been happening regularly outside of missions for a while. Kiba watched Naruto; the blonde's face was immersed in cup ramen, as usual. By his side was a carton of milk.

"What is it with you and milk?" Kiba asked.

Naruto looked up at Kiba, blinking, then over at the carton. He shrugged. "Dunno. I like it. Why?"

"You can get calcium from other sources, you know."

"Calcium?"

"Yeah. The thing that they always go on about as being important and good for you? That you get in milk? Comes in pills, too."

Naruto shrugged again, "Dunno about that. I just like it."

Kiba grinned, "And here you had me thinking that you were worried about bone fragility or something."

The glint in the blonde's eye suddenly turned sharp. Kiba's grin became a little more predatory. The blonde picked up the carton of milk and brought it to his lips, letting his tongue sneak out to catch the first few drops before taking a healthy swallow of it.

"You," Naruto said. He paused and traced his finger over his bottom lip, presumably to wipe off any excess. Then he stuck the finger in his mouth and sucked on it a moment.

Kiba shifted. "I what?"

The blonde pulled the finger out of his mouth slowly, "Have absolutely horrible pick-up moves. Who taught you those?"

"Nobody!" Kiba snapped. "Wait? Pick-up moves? Is that even a thing?"

"Here's an idea."

"What?"

"You come over here and kiss me before you embarrass yourself."

Kiba jumped up from the table and stormed over to the other side of the table. He threw himself over Naruto's lap and held the blonde by the collar of his shirt. Their lips came together with enough force to bruise, and soon the teeth were out, nipping and scraping, and Naruto's hands were distending the fabric of Kiba's sweater. When they pulled apart, both were breathless. Kiba still managed to grin.

"Embarrass myself, huh?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "You were the one who needed to go on about calcium before he'd make a move. Shut up and kiss me again."


	29. The Waves

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

It was Naruto's opinion that people should stop and listen to the ocean. The waves crashing onto the sand, or against boats, or onto themselves – all were sounds that, as far as he was concerned, needed more attention. The repetition was soothing from a distance, the sheer force of the waves and the roaring exciting from up close, and people needed to recognize that. Kiba laughed at him when he started on about it, and humoured his tangents before shutting him up with a lingering kiss.

Naruto sometimes wondered if Kiba knew he could really care less about the water.


	30. Tactile

**Author**: Sly Omi  
**Disclaimer**: As pertaining to all chapters herein: I, Omi, do solemnly swear that I do not, have not, and will not ever own any claim to copyrights of Naruto, either in manga or anime form, or any merchandise thereof. I am writing this for fun, not with the intention to make money.  
**Pairing**: KibaNaruKiba  
**Warning**: You are reading this of your own free will. If yaoi or shounen-ai offends your sensibilites, turn back now. Failure to comply with this might result in your tender sensibilities being mortally offended, or incurring mental trauma on your behalf. Failure to comply with this also means that it's your own fault should that happen - you're the one who wasn't reading the warning.

* * *

Naruto was a tactile person by nature. Having been kept away from anyone his age and so denied any sort of friendly touch only exacerbated that nature – not even Neji was safe from Naruto's hugs once they'd come to be friends. Kiba was also a tactile person by nature. He had, however, been denied the ability to indulge in casual displays of affection with anyone but Akamaru: Noone else in his family was big on it.

He and Naruto met when they had just started walking. Naruto had tried to befriend Kiba, and had been rebuffed by Kiba's father. Kiba hadn't liked that, though to this day Kiba couldn't say what it was about Naruto that prompted him to shrug off the parent-imposed ban on socializing with Naruto in public. But shrugged it off he had. He had come to see a kindred spirit in the blonde; had realized the blonde held the same instinct that kept dogs in a pack. And in Naruto Kiba found a person with whom casual touches were not things to be given out as rewards. With Naruto anything from a high-five to a one-armed hug to a kiss on the cheek was meant to be given spontaneously and often.

They'd been forced apart many times since then, every time by an outside force. Even so, Kiba always found a way back to the blonde. Back to the boy he'd decided was going to be his mate even before he knew what that meant. Sometimes Naruto found a way to him, and if they were caught they'd be punished and separated again. Then they'd try a little harder and get back to each other a little quicker, and they'd celebrate their reunion by going out and painting rude things on the city walls. And even though they both knew they'd be caught eventually and punished once more, in the dark Kiba could exchange light kisses with Naruto and run fingers through silky blonde hair and over smooth skin and feel fingers running over his own skin and through his own hair in return.

And no matter the punishment, Kiba never once regretted it.


End file.
